Package of sheet products and method of manufacturing thereof

ABSTRACT

A package ( 1 ) of folded sheet products, in particular hand wipes, made of tissue paper or nonwoven. The package ( 1 ) includes a stack ( 2 ) of said sheet products, which stack ( 2 ) having an upper surface ( 3 ), a lower surface ( 4 ), and four side surfaces ( 5, 6, 7, 8 ) connecting said upper and lower surfaces ( 3, 4 ). A binding material ( 17 ) is applied on at least two opposite side surfaces ( 5, 6; 7, 8 ) of said stack ( 2 ) and bonded to at least two of said sheet products for retaining package integrity during handling thereof, whilst allowing separation of end sheet products ( 9; 11 ) from said package ( 1 ). A method for producing a package (1) is also provided.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a package of folded sheet products, inparticular hand wipes, made of tissue paper or nonwoven. The packagecomprises a stack of said sheet products, where the stack has an uppersurface, a lower surface, and four side surfaces connecting the upperand lower surfaces.

BACKGROUND

Dispensers located in restrooms and other places where absorbentarticles for drying hands are desired may contain folded sheet products.The folded sheet products may come in a package containing a stack offolded sheet products where the outer wrapping has to be removed priorto loading the dispenser. After removing the outer wrapping the stack offolded sheet products has to be handled gently in order for the sheetproducts not to fall out from the stack. This makes handling of such astack of folded sheet products difficult, and loading of such dispensersmay be time consuming for a custodian or janitor responsible for loadingdispensers.

DE 101 59 570 A1 discloses a package of folded sheet products where eachsheet product is attached to at least one other sheet product by meansof a binding agent located on abutting surfaces of the sheet products,such that sheet products may be dispensed even in a state where thepackage is arranged outside a sheet product dispenser without riskingthat the stack will fall apart.

The problems with the solution according to DE 101 59 570 A1 is that thebinding agent may stick to the surface of the sheet products makingdrying unpleasant. In the case where the binding agent is too strong orunevenly distributed on the sheet products the sheet products may beripped or torn during separation of the sheet products.

There is thus a need for an improved package of folded sheet productsremoving the above mentioned disadvantages.

SUMMARY

An object of the present disclosure is to provide an inventive packagecomprising a stack of folded sheet products where the previouslymentioned problems are partly avoided. The object is achieved by thefeatures, wherein a binding material is applied on at least two oppositeside surfaces of said stack and bonded to at least two of said sheetproducts for retaining package integrity during handling thereof, whilstallowing separation of end sheet products from said package. A method ofmanufacturing such a package is also disclosed. This is achieved by thefeatures, which comprises the steps of:

-   -   providing a package comprising a stack of said sheet products,        which stack having an upper surface, a lower surface, and four        side surfaces connecting said upper and lower surfaces;    -   applying a binding material on at least two opposite side        surfaces of said stack and bonding said binding material to at        least two of said sheet product for retaining package integrity        whilst allowing separation of end sheet products from said        package.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relates to a package of foldedsheet products, in particular hand wipes, made of tissue paper ornonwoven. The package comprises a stack of sheet products, where thestack has an upper surface, a lower surface, and four side surfacesconnecting the upper and lower surfaces. A binding material is appliedon at least two opposite side surfaces of the stack and bonded to atleast two of the sheet products for retaining package integrity duringhandling thereof, whilst allowing separation of end sheet products fromthe package.

A package according to an embodiment of the disclosure allows a fast andeconomical solution for providing improved package integrity and resultsin a package where handling is made easier and faster, for instanceduring loading of a package into a dispenser. By applying a bindingmaterial to side surfaces of the stack the package integrity ispreserved and the risk of the package falling apart is reduced.

A further advantage is that a person responsible for loading a dispenserwith sheet products more easily can handle the package with only onehand thereby reducing time needed for loading the dispenser. When usinga single hand to load the package, a part of the package, such as an endpart thereof can be clamped by the person. The binding material appliedto at least two opposite sides of the package ensures that the integrityof the package is kept intact. The adhesive bonding between the bindingmaterial and the sheet product is preferably non-permanent, i.e. thesheet product may be detached from the package by breaking the adhesivebond, and without tearing the sheet product apart.

The separation of end sheet products from the package may beaccomplished by breaking the bonds of the binding material on at leasttwo opposite side surfaces by exerting a pull force on any of the endsheet products.

A pull force exerted on an end sheet results in breaking of the bonds ofthe binding material thereby allowing removal of the end sheet. Byhaving the binding material applied to the side surfaces the risk oftearing the end sheet while removing it is greatly reduced compared withhaving a binding agent applied to abutting surfaces of the sheets, asdisclosed by the known art.

The at least two opposite side surfaces of the package are formed byedge surfaces of the sheet products. The binding material may be appliedand bonded to at least the edge surfaces of each end sheet of thepackage. The binding material may directly or indirectly provide a forcetransfer connection between at least the end sheets, such that thepackage is prevented from falling apart.

By having at least the end sheets connected by means of a force transferconnection in the form of for instance binding material the package isprevented from falling apart. Force transfer connection means forinstance the capability of transferring tension load between the upperand lower sheet product of the stack, such that the package may belifted and handled by clamping upper portions of glued side surfaces.This results in that a person handling the package must no longer liftthe package from below to avoid collapse or disorder of the stack.

An indirect force transfer connection is provided between said endsheets by means of said binding material if the binding materialtransfers said tension load jointly with another member, which thus alsotransfers tension load. The other member may for example be the carriersheet of a pressure sensitive tape that is adhesively attached to thestack. The tension load is transferred from one end sheet via saidbinding material to said carrier layer, and subsequently to the otherend sheet via binding material again. The other member here functions asa retainer element, which retains the integrity of the stack. Thebinding material indirectly provides the force transfer connectionbecause force is transferred also by said carrier layer of said tape.Many other designs may result in an indirect force transfer connection,such as when the binding material for example is reinforced with areinforcement element, which is arranged and capable to transfer saidtension load. Yet another type of indirect force transfer connection isprovided when all neighbouring sheet products of the stack are joined toeach other because force may then be transferred between said end sheetproducts via each sheet product of the stack. Upon an indirect forcetransfer connection, the requirement on structural rigidity of thebinding material itself is reduced in favour of the bonding capabilityto at least the end sheets and the retainer element.

A direct force transfer connection is provided between said end sheetsby means of said binding material if the binding material itselftransfers said tension load between the upper and lower sheet product ofthe stack, and thus itself forms said retainer element. This may, forexample, be accomplished by means of forming the binding material of arelatively thick string of hot-melt glue that is applied continuouslyover the entire height of the package. A direct force transferconnection is then provided by means of said binding material, i.e.hot-melt glue, which is bonded at least to said end sheets and capableof transferring the arising tension load there between. Other types ofdirect force transfer connection are provided upon use of for examplethermo-adhesive films as binding material.

The height of the stack as measured from the upper surface of the stackto the lower surface of the stack may be at least 15 cm, preferably atleast 20 cm. Without a package wrapper a stack may be limited in heightwhile still being able to be handled as an integral unit using a singlehand. For embodiments of the disclosure to be most effective a largerstack may be desired. Compression of the stack may arise duringmanufacturing or transportation thereof. The height of the package maybe varied depending on the type of sheet product that is used and mayalso depend on the type of dispenser the package is intended for.

The side surfaces of each sheet product arranged between said end sheetsproducts are preferably free from the binding material. A small amountof binding material, for instance an adhesive, might however penetrate acertain distance into the sheet products depending mainly on theviscosity of the adhesive and the absorption rate of the sheet productmaterial.

A direct or indirect force transfer connection between at least the endsheets may be provided by means of one or more structural retainersbonded to at least the end sheets and extending along the at least twoopposite side surfaces of the stack.

A structural retainer may advantageously function as reinforcement incases where the force transfer capability of the binding material aloneis not enough to ensure the integrity of the package, or in cases wherea structural retainer is deemed necessary for other reasons. Thestructural retainer may result in improved stability and handling of thepackage.

Each sheet product of the package comprises two side surfaces, and theone or more structural retainers may be bonded also a certain distanceonto an outer side surface of the end sheets for improved bonding of thestructural retainers to the end sheets.

Improved bonding of the structural retainers to the end sheets resultsin improved stability and package robustness.

The one or more structural retainers may be formed by the bindingmaterial itself, which may be applied over the entire height of each ofthe at least two opposite side surfaces by means of at least onecontinuous strip of binding material or multiple segmented strips ofbinding material.

When using multiple segmented structural retainers with the end segmentsthereof being bonded to the end sheets of the stack, the segments shouldoverlap in a height direction of the stack. That means that one end ofone structural retainer extends beyond one end of another structuralretainer in said height direction, such that all sheet products arecovered by at least one structural retainer for the purpose of providingthe required integrity of the stack.

Having structural retainers separate from the binding material mayprovide more flexibility with respect to desired characteristics of thepackage such as stability, flexibility, elasticity, etc. Having separatestructural retainers also allows for increased freedom in the type ofbinding material used.

One or more structural retainers may be bonded to the end sheets bymeans of the binding material.

The one or more structural retainers may be formed by tape, net, web,strip, or board, and made of paper, carton, polymer, or plasticmaterial.

The one or more structural retainers may be formed by either acontinuous structural retainer bonded to the end sheets, or multiplesegmented structural retainers jointly extending over the entire heightof the package, and with the end segments thereof being bonded to theend sheets of the stack.

The package may comprise a single structural retainer that extends overthe entire height of each of the at least two opposite side surfaces.The width of a bonding surface of the structural retainer is preferablyless than half of the width of the associated side of the sheet product,and more preferably less than a quarter of the width of the associatedside of the sheet product, facilitating improved separation of the endsheet products from the package.

A reinforcement element may be bonded to or embedded in the strip orstrips of binding material for increased package stiffness andintegrity. The reinforcement element may be formed by tape, net, web,strip, or board, and made of paper, carton, polymer, or plasticmaterial.

At least 50% of all sheet products of the package may be bonded to thepackage by means of the binding material, preferably at least 75% of allsheet products of the package, and more preferably at least 90% of allsheet products of the package.

A bond may be provided by the binding material between everyneighbouring pair of sheet products at the at least two opposite sidesurfaces of the stack.

The binding material preferably provides a non-permanent bond betweensheet products and retainer element and/or between neighbouring sheetproducts. A non-permanent bond allows for easier separation of sheets inthe stack.

Embodiments of the disclosure further relate to a method ofmanufacturing a package of folded sheet products, in particular handwipes, made of tissue paper or nonwoven. The method comprises the steps:

-   -   providing a package comprising a stack of the sheet products,        which stack having an upper surface, a lower surface, and four        side surfaces connecting the upper and lower surfaces;    -   applying a binding material on at least two opposite side        surfaces of the stack and bonding the binding material to at        least two of the sheet products for retaining package integrity        whilst allowing separation of end sheet products from the        package.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detailwith reference to the figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 schematically shows a package of folded sheet products accordingto an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 schematically shows a package of folded sheet products accordingto an embodiment of a first aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 schematically shows a package of folded sheet products accordingto an embodiment of a second aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 schematically shows a package of folded sheet products accordingto an embodiment of a third aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 schematically shows a package of folded sheet products accordingto an embodiment of a fourth aspect of the disclosure;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the drawings, like features have the same reference numbers.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a package 1 according to an embodiment of thedisclosure. The package comprises a stack 2 of folded sheet productsmade of for instance of tissue paper or nonwoven. The stack 2 of foldedsheet products has an upper surface 3, a lower surface 4, a first longside surface 5, a second long side surface 6 opposite the first longside surface 5, a first short side surface 7 and a second short sidesurface 8 opposite the first short side surface 7. The stack 2 of sheetproducts comprises a first end sheet product 9 located at a first end 10of the stack 2 of sheet products and a second end sheet product 11located at a second end 12 of the stack 2 of sheet products. In FIG. 1the first end sheet product 9 is located at the bottom of the stack 2 ofsheet products and the second end sheet product 11 is located at the topof the stack 2 of sheet products. This may of course be the other wayaround depending on if the stack 2 of sheet products is placed in adispenser with a dispensing opening located at a top surface of thedispenser.

Each sheet product comprises a first edge surface 13 and a second edgesurface 14. In FIG. 1 this is illustrated for the end sheet products 9,11 only. However, this applies to all sheet products in the stack 2. InFIG. 1 the edge surfaces 13, 14 are located on the short sides of thesheet products. Alternatively, the edge surfaces 13, 14 may be locatedon the long sides of the sheet products. Each sheet product alsocomprises a first outer side surface 15 and a second outer side surface16, which outer side surfaces 15, 16 form the main surfaces of eachsheet product. The stack 2 extends in height direction, hereinafterdenoted z-direction. Each sheet product is then arranged in a planedefined by a x-direction and a y-direction, both being perpendicular tothe z-direction. The x-, y-, and z-direction being axes in athree-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system. In fig.1, the first andsecond short side surfaces 7, 8 extend in plane defined by thex-direction and z-direction.

The sheet products in the stack 2 may be interfolded in any suitableway, for instance by C-fold, W-fold or Z-fold. The sheet products in thestack 2 may also be placed on top of each other without interfolding.

Binding material 17 is applied on the first short side surface 7 of thestack and the opposing second short side surface 8 of the stack. Thebinding material 17 may cover only a part of the short side surfaces 7,8 or it may cover the entire short side surfaces 7, 8. This is describedmore in detail below. In FIG. 1, the binding material 17 additionallycovers part of the upper surface 3 and similarly part of the lowersurface 4 of the stack 2. This is a mere example of how to apply thebinding material 17. The binding material 17 does not have to extend tothe upper surface 3 or lower surface 4 as long as the edge surfaces 13,14 of the first end sheet product 9 and the second end sheet product 11are covered and bonded with the binding material 17.

The location of the binding material 17 on the short side surfaces 7, 8in FIG. 1 is merely meant as an illustration. It is of course possibleto have the binding material 17 applied on the first long side surface 5and the opposing second long side surface 6. The first and second edgesurfaces 13, 14 of the sheet products then correspond to the long sidesof the sheet product. Binding material may of course alternatively beprovided on three or four side surfaces of the stack to even furtherincrease integrity thereof.

FIG. 2 schematically shows a package 1 of folded sheet productsaccording to an embodiment of the disclosure. Here the binding material17 is shown to extend across the entire first short side surface 7 andsecond short side surface 8 of the stack 2 of sheet products in thez-direction of said package 1. The binding material 17 covers and isbonded to at least an edge surface 13 of the first end sheet product 9and an edge surface 13 of the second end sheet product 11. The bindingmaterial 17 ensures that a force transfer connection between at leastthe first end sheet product 9 and the second end sheet product 11 isachieved, such that the stack 2 can retain its integrity. The forcetransfer connection thus prevents the first and second end sheetproducts 9, 11 from separating in the z-direction, unless a separationforce exceeding either the bonding strength of the binding material 17or the tensile strength of the binding material itself is exerted to atleast one of said end sheet products 9, 11. The binding material 17 atleast have to adhere to the first end sheet product 9 and the second endsheet product 11 in order to achieve the function of an embodiment ofthe disclosure. Depending on the desired strength of the force transferconnection the binding material 17 may be arranged to adhere toadditional sheet products. The binding material 17 is preferablyarranged to adhere to all sheet products of the stack 2, but the bond toa certain amount of sheet products may be lacking due to for exampleinsufficient alignment or positioning of the sheets of the stack duringapplication of the binding material, and/or bonds that have failed aftermanufacturing.

Hot-melt adhesive or similar may for example be used as the bindingmaterial 17. The binding material 17 may be applied to cover the entirewidth of the short side surface 7 in an x-direction resulting inincreased stack integrity, or be applied as a continuous strip coveringonly a part of the short side surface 7 in the x-direction resulting insimplified withdrawal of sheet products from the stack 2. The bindingmaterial 17 may additionally be bonded to a part of the first outer sidesurface 15 and/or the second outer side surface 16 of the end sheetproducts 9, 11 for increased stability and bonding strength. Areinforcement element (not shown) may be bonded to or embedded in thebinding material 17 for further increased package stiffness andintegrity. The reinforcement element may be formed by tape, net, web,strip, or board, and made of paper, carton, polymer, or plasticmaterial.

FIG. 3 schematically shows a package 1 of folded sheet productsaccording to an embodiment of another aspect of the disclosure. If forexample the force transfer connection provided by the binding material17 itself as shown in FIG. 2 is deemed not to be strong enough, i.e. ifthe package 1 is still unable to retain its integrity to a sufficientdegree, one or more structural retainers 18 may be used. The one or morestructural retainers 18 may be formed by tape, net, web, strip, orboard, and made of paper, carton, polymer, or plastic material andprovides an increased force transfer capability. The structural retainer18 may have the binding material 17 applied to it before fastening thecombined structural retainer 18 and binding material 17 to the sidesurfaces 7, 8 of the stack. Alternatively, binding material 17 may beapplied to the side surfaces 7, 8 of the stack 2 before placing thestructural retainer 18 on top of the binding material 17. As shown inFIG. 3, the binding material 17 does not necessarily have to cover allof the sheet products in the stack 2 because the structural retainer 18may alone fulfil the force transfer connection between the end sheets 9,11 of the stack 2. Consequently, in the same way as described inconjunction with FIG. 2, the binding material 17 at least have to adhereto the first end sheet product 9, the second end sheet product 11 andthe structural retainer 18 in order to achieve the function of anembodiment of the disclosure. According to a preferred aspect of anembodiment of the disclosure, the binding material 17 and structuralretainer 18 extends equally, and both preferably covers and adheres toeach sheet product of the stack 2. The structural retainer 18 andthereby the binding material 17 may cover a part of the first outer sidesurface 15 and/or the second outer side surface 16 of the end sheetproducts 9, 11 for increased bonding strength and stability.

As previously mentioned, instead of first applying binding material 17to the stack 2 of sheet products a structural retainer 18 comprisingbinding material 17 may be applied directly to the stack 2 of sheetproducts. In this case the binding material 17 is made up for instanceof the adhesive of a tape, or glue applied to the structural retainerforming a carrier layer, such as a strip of paper. The tape or strip ofpaper is then applied on the stack 2 and bonded thereto by means of thebinding material 17. In this case the binding material 17 is firstlyintended to secure the structural retainer 18 to the stack 2 of sheetproducts and secondly to function as force transfer connection, and thestructural retainer 18 is intended to function as the main forcetransfer connection between the end sheets 9, 11 of the stack 2.

FIG. 4 schematically shows the application of more than one strip ofbinding material 17 or more than one structural retainer 18. In FIG. 4,four strips of binding material 17 or four structural retainers 18 areused, collectively covering the entire height of the short side surfaces7, 8 in the z-direction of the stack 2 of sheet products. As can be seenfrom FIG. 4, each of the strips of binding material 17 or structuralretainers 18 overlaps at least one other strip of binding material 17 orstructural retainer 18 meaning that a force transfer connection isprovided via said strips and the sheet products in the overlapping areasin the height direction, i.e. in the direction perpendicular to theplane of the individual sheets. The use of four strips of bindingmaterial 17 or four structural retainers 18 is merely illustrative as apossible number of strips of binding material 17 or structural retainers18 may be used. Two or more, in the x-direction offset continuous stripsof binding material 17 or structural retainers 18 may alternatively beapplied to each of said first and second short side surfaces 7, 8 forsecuring package integrity. This alternative design is particularlyadvantageous when the width of the stack 2 in the x-direction is muchlarger than the width of the continuous strip of binding material 17 orstructural retainers 18 in the x-direction, such that the initialsubstantially rectangular shape of the package 1 is sustained also aftera certain level of compression of the stack 2 during manufacturing. Thisdesign is particularly advantageous when the continuous strips ofbinding material 17 or structural retainers 18 are applied to the firstand second long side surfaces 5, 6 of the package 1.

FIG. 5 schematically shows a package 1 according to another aspect of anembodiment of the disclosure. In FIG. 5 the binding material 17 is inthe form of a relatively low viscosity adhesive that may be applied forexample by spraying, rolling, by brush, or the like. In addition toforming a relatively thin coating layer on the side surfaces 7, 8, thebinding material 17 in this aspect may penetrate a distance into eachsheet product thereby bonding the sheet products together not only bymeans of binding material 17 on the short side surfaces 7, 8 of thestack 2 but also by bonding at least a part of a first outer sidesurface 15 of one sheet product to a second outer side surface 16 of aneighbouring sheet product. The direct force transfer capability of thebinding material 17 between the end sheets 9, 11 of the stack 2 mayaccording to this aspect of the disclosure be low or completely lacking,but since the binding material 17 instead joins each neighbouring sheetproduct, a force transfer connection is provided via each sheet of thestack within said end sheets 9, 11, jointly with each bond between eachneighbouring sheets. This aspect of the disclosure may be combined withstructural retainers 18 and to the method of applying multiplestructural retainers 18 or strips of binding material 17 as described inconjunction to FIG. 4, for the purpose of increasing package stabilityand integrity.

The expression bonded or bonding signifies that the binding material isarranged to bond to said at least two of the sheet products adhesively.The bonded sheet products do not have to be adjacent.

The expression retaining package integrity during handling signifies forinstance the ability of the package to remain intact during normalhandling, transportation, storing, refill and potential withdrawal fromdispenser by a user. The sheet products are mainly intended for dryinghands after washing or for cleaning purposes. Other suitable uses may bepossible.

The binding material may be an adhesive, a pressure sensitive adhesive,a hot-melt adhesive, an organic solvent adhesive, a plastisol, awater-based solution adhesive, a water based dispersion adhesive, or achemically curing adhesive. The binding material is preferably appliedas a film or sprayed to the stack.

Reference signs mentioned in the claims should not be seen as limitingthe extent of the matter protected by the claims, and their solefunction is to make claims easier to understand.

As will be realised, the disclosure is capable of modification invarious obvious respects, all without departing from the scope of theappended claims. Accordingly, the drawings and the description theretoare to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not restrictive.

1. A package (1) of folded sheet products, in particular hand wipes,made of tissue paper or nonwoven, said package (1) comprising a stack(2) of said sheet products, which stack (2) having an upper surface (3),a lower surface (4), and four side surfaces (5, 6, 7, 8) connecting saidupper and lower surfaces (3, 4), characterised in that a bindingmaterial (17) is applied on at least two opposite side surfaces (5, 6;7, 8) of said stack (2) and bonded to at least two of said sheetproducts for retaining package integrity during handling thereof, whilstallowing separation of end sheet products (9; 11) from said package (1).2. The package (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that saidseparation of end sheet products (9; 11) from said package (1) isaccomplished by breaking the bonds of said binding material (17) on saidat least two opposite side surfaces (5, 6; 7, 8) by exerting a pullforce on any of said end sheet products (9; 11).
 3. The package (1)according to any of the previous claims, characterised in that said atleast two opposite side surfaces (5, 6; 7, 8) are formed by edgesurfaces (13, 14) of said sheet products, said binding material (17) isapplied and bonded to at least said edge surfaces (13, 14) of each endsheet (9; 11) of said package (1), and in that said binding material(17) directly or indirectly provides a force transfer connection betweenat least said end sheets (9; 11), such that said package (1) isprevented from falling apart.
 4. The package (1) according to claim 3,characterised in that said force transfer connection between at leastsaid end sheets (9; 11) is accomplished by means of one or morestructural retainers (18) bonded to at least said end sheets andextending along said at least two opposite side surfaces (5, 6; 7, 8) ofsaid stack (2).
 5. The package (1) according to claim 4, characterisedin that each sheet product comprises two outer side surfaces (15; 16),and in that said one or more structural retainers (18) are bonded also acertain distance onto an outer side surface (15; 16) of said end sheetsfor improved bonding of said structural retainers (18) to said endsheets (9; 11).
 6. The package (1) according to claim 4 or 5,characterised in that said one or more structural retainers (18) areformed by said binding material (17) itself, which is applied over theentire height of each of said at least two opposite side surfaces (5, 6;7, 8) by means of at least one continuous strip of binding material (17)or multiple segmented strips of binding material (17).
 7. The package(1) according to claim 6, characterised in that a reinforcement elementis bonded to or embedded in said strip or strips of binding material(17) for increased package stiffness and integrity.
 8. The package (1)according to claim 4 or 5, characterised in that said one or morestructural retainers (18) are bonded to said end sheets (9; 11) by meansof said binding material (17).
 9. The package (1) according to any ofclaim 4, 5, or 8, characterised in that said one or more structuralretainers (18) are formed by tape, net, web, strip, or board, and madeof paper, carton, polymer, or plastic material.
 10. The package (1)according to any of claim 4, 5, 8, or 9, characterised in that said oneor more structural retainers (18) are formed by either a continuousstructural retainer (18) bonded to said end sheets (9; 11), or multiplesegmented structural retainers (18) jointly extending over the entireheight of said package (1), and with the end segments thereof beingbonded to said end sheets (9; 11).
 11. The package (1) according to anyof claims 4 to 10, characterised in that a single structural retainer(18) extends over the entire height of each of said at least twoopposite side surfaces (5, 6; 7, 8), and in that the width of a bondingsurface of said structural retainer (18) is less than half of the widthof the associated side of said sheet product, and preferably less than aquarter of the width of the associated side of said sheet product,facilitating improved separation of said end sheet products (9; 11) fromsaid package (1).
 12. The package (1) according to any of the previousclaims, characterised in that at least 50% of all sheet products of saidpackage (1) are bonded to said package (1) by means of said bindingmaterial (17), preferably at least 75% of all sheet products of saidpackage (1), and more preferably at least 90% of all sheet products ofsaid package (1).
 13. The package (1) according to any of the previousclaims, characterised in that a bond is provided by said bindingmaterial (17) between every neighbouring sheet products at said at leasttwo opposite side surfaces (5, 6; 7, 8) of said stack (2).
 14. Thepackage (1) according to any of the previous claims, characterised inthat said binding material (17) provides a non-permanent bond betweensheet products and retainer element (18) and/or between neighbouringsheet products.
 15. Method of manufacturing a package (1) of foldedsheet products, in particular hand wipes, made of tissue paper ornonwoven, characterised by the steps of: providing a package (1)comprising a stack (2) of said sheet products, which stack (2) having anupper surface (3), a lower surface (4), and four side surfaces (5, 6, 7,8) connecting said upper and lower surfaces (3, 4); applying a bindingmaterial (17) on at least two opposite side surfaces (5, 6; 7, 8) ofsaid stack (2) and bonding said binding material (17) to at least two ofsaid sheet products for retaining package integrity whilst allowingseparation of end sheet products (9; 11) from said package (1).